Blurb
Welcome to Spirit Lake in the dead of a Minnesota winter, where the brutally cold temp isn’t the only thing to fear.
Andie Rose Kaczmarek, a six-year sober life coach and owner of the haunted Spirit Lake Inn, has learned the hard way that the living are far more dangerous than anything in the spirit world.
When a controversial guest fails to return to her room on the same night a body is discovered in a fish house on Big Spirit Lake, Andie Rose teams up with her sponsor and sidekick, Sister Alice, and her emotional support red retriever, Aspen, to solve the case.
After Andie Rose discovers illegal activity on the inn’s property that ties to the murder, the investigation shifts into high gear. As she uncovers shocking secrets of those she thought she knew, someone is intent on keeping her quiet at any cost.
Can the inn’s resident ghost save her from impending harm when it seems the ones closest to her pose the greatest threat?
Review
Amateur detective and life coach Andie Rose Kazmerick runs a quaint inn in a small Minnesota town. It’s the dead of winter when one of her guests is found dead in the lake on her property. This isn’t the first time darkness has fallen on her family business, and she’s determined to save her property, her staff, and her reputation by finding the killer.
I’ve been trying to read more cozy mysteries lately, so I was excited to give this one a try. There are lots of subplots that all weave into the main murder thread and keeps the reader guessing. I didn’t have a clue as to who the killer was until he revealed himself at the end.
Andie Rose is a strong-willed woman with an interesting past—she’s almost seven years sober and has an emotional support animal, an adorable retriever named Aspen, who is the best part of the book. Sometimes, she was a little judgmental, and the way she handled Frank and his single marijuana plant rubbed me the wrong way. This subplot would’ve worked better had a strong narcotic been the issue instead of pot. Anyway, it was so amusing to see her butting heads with the police when she kept interfering with their investigation and tampering/destroying evidence. Why they didn’t arrest her, I have no idea, but at least the detectives respected her insight on the case.
Readers should be aware that there is a strong religious (Christian) vibe. There’s talk about praying and God, and anytime someone tries to curse or lie, Andie’s nun friend, Sister Alice, is sure to chastise. As a secular reader, I found this off-putting, so I’m just saying this to let other readers know what to expect.
Overall, this was a fun mystery. If you like clean-cut cozies, then I suggest you give Inn the Dead of Winter a try.
4 Stars
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